What's your overall goal? Clean it,put new gaskets in it and put it back in or a rebuild?

 

My plan was to just have something to start working on as I'm near retirement. Not looking to spend a lot if I an help it, just trying to get it back on the road and occasional use around town.

 

I'd pull the pan and see how it looks. If it's really grimy, I'd be tempted to tear it down and rebuild it. But that's just me. There is usually a lot of casting sand left in the block that you can get out and help cool the engine better if you pull the freeze plugs. I know it's a lot of work, but you've already went to the trouble of pulling it. I just dislike the idea of putting a dirty engine back into a car if I don't have to.

 

I would pull the oil pan and check bearings and oil pump, pull the heads and check heads and cylinder walls.

Maybe get an engine kit like this if it needs more work:

Ford 302 All 1968-1976 Engine Kit | Northern Auto Parts

 

No that we know what you are trying to accomplish, I’d tear the engine down to the short block. Cleaning, checking, bagging, tagging and taking pictures of everything (you want to be able to put everything back in the spot and orientation it was originally in, especially the valve train) as you go. This way you’ll be able to gauge the condition of the engine and replace any suspect parts as needed. With 57k miles expect some wear but if everything checks out and is within spec, you may only have to replace all The gaskets which should be relatively cheap.

 

Another option you could think about, a Explorer GT40P. These motors will easily last 300K miles. On a different forum the moderator bought a 300K mile GT40P for his early 70’s pick up. He said the engine looked like brand new with no noticeable wear. I recently picked up one for 2nd66. Out the door from the yard for $280 and that included the $100 charge for the yard to pull the motor. They run really well and they’re a pretty easy swap. Here’s my swap

https://forums.vintage-mustang.com/...-mustang.com/vintage-mustang-forum/1012953-got-my-gt40p-up-running-my-66-a.html

 

I think I know where you are going, if you have sludge, I would drop the pan and pull the timing cover. Replace the timing chain if you have a nylon lower gear! You can clean the inside of the block and get the sludge out with several cans of Gunk (original) and carb cleaner and a few different parts and paint brushes. Start from the top and work your way down. Be careful not to use carb cleaner on any rubber like the valve seals under the springs. Be slow and methodical - work from the top down. when you clean the inside of the block where the rods spin, keep the engine on the stand upright e.g. intake up, so any gunk flows down out of the block. Clean out the pan and valve covers really well.

If you want, pull a rod cap and do a check (post a photo) or cross your fingers and say over and over, it only has 57k miles on it hitting the "I Believe" button. I would likely peek if you have a torque wrench and the skills, but its totally optional. Clean out the oil pan very well and the oil pickup. If it all looks good put all the covers back on and the timing cover with the harmonic balancer so the oil sides of the engine are completely sealed.

Before you put the water pump on, take a high pressure attachment on your hose with a long extension of some kind and blast the water chambers real good shoving the attachment as deep into the block as possible. Start from the cleaner side but use scrapers, wire brushes (I got an assortment of long round ones from Harbor Freight) and coat hangers to loosen stuff with the water flow taking loose stuff out of the motor. Try and dislodge the stuff that accumulates due to gravity and keep going till you get clean water in both directions. Clean the intake water chambers before you put it back on and do as much as you can on the head openings to the intake as you can without getting crap into the valley. Be creative, vacuum, tape and paper or tin foil to tape off the oil areas.

Oil all the working surfaces with clean oil e.g. rockers & timing chain etc before you seal it up. Then comes paint, there are no Mustang Unions so blue is optional although Orange is unacceptable!

BTW, if you are going to go through all this trouble, have the radiator "rodded" out by an old-school radiator shop so you don't fill your clean motor with gunk from the radiator. This is good ju-ju!!!

Run it for a break-in period and change the filter and oil before 100 miles to get anything that you broke loose out. I did this on an old Saab and my oil was sparkling like a new motor for my oil changes...

Then go driving...

There is an alternative: Sell it and buy a new 408 crate motor - hell you only live once ;o)

Good luck

 

I 2nd the Explorer option bang for the Buck pretty hard to beat. But if you want to keep the original engine follow dobro's prescription

 

why not just exchange it for a short block.
to me the cost, aggravation and lost time will be a lot less plus you take out the guessing factor.

That motor to me looks tired

the hard part is done. Drop in a new one

 

I don't want to speak for the OP but said that "I'm near retirement. Not looking to spend a lot if I an help it, just trying to get it back on the road and occasional use around town."

 

I am still not clear on why you are doing what you are doing other than you want to work on a project as you approach retirement. Questions that come to mind include:

How long have you owned this engine (car)?

How sure are you that the 57,000 miles is not 157,000 or 257,000 or some other multiple of 57K?

Is this engine 45 or more years old?

Was the engine running prior to you removing it? If not, what was wrong with it?

How many times has the engine been rebuilt /overhauled/ opened up for repairs? Particularly, how big is the current bore diameter (oversize) and how close are you to the service limit for that block?

If you have a sound, serviceable engine, I would suggest tearing it all down for inspection and measurement of components and tolerances. Refurbish or replace those parts that are worn out or close to being at the end of their service life.

Replace the timing chain set, the oil pump, the water pump, thermostat, the valve stem seals, and if you are running the original valve seats, have a competent machine shop replace them with hardened seats that are compatible with unleaded gas.

Besides new gaskets and freeze plugs you should have covered the main areas of concern.

Note that once you get into the engine, the temptation to upgrade "While I Am At It" can redirect you and your wallet in significant ways. Make sure you have a plan before you go much further to help you stay focused on the tasks at hand. Asking questions around here about the best carb (or other performance part) will bring out many suggestions about how to spend your money!!

Good Luck.

 

Thanks for all the feedback. I had a chance to read everyone's opinions on what to do, all good suggestions. As JeffT. mentioned on the engine life, I'm pretty certain it is only 57K on the clock. I tracked down the original owner to ask about the history but he never called back. I was told the engine was removed to make replacing the aprons in the engine area a little easier. Passenger side completed and drivers side just started. I do have the car's history and the mileage looks legit, its also been off the road for the past 17 years which also contributed to the condition its in. I should have known better but I got it for such a low offer so I thought I could make it work. My desire to keep it as original as possible is also a factor I guess. Anyway I looked into some local engine rebuilding shops, I'm going to call a few on Monday and see what it would cost to just refresh the engine and have it checked out professionally. Hopefully the low mileage will help if that's even a factor. It's an expense I wasn't planning on but will be worth it in the end for peace of mind and reliability. I know my limits on time and mechanical skills, doing a rebuild is a little more than I'm comfortable with.

 

If you can pull the motor, you can disassemble and then reassemble the short block if you take it to a shop for a rebuild,....don’t sell yourself short. :wink:

 

While labor rates vary geographically, the last time I freshened up a 289 was several years ago. I would expect a thorough refurbish by a competent shop with good quality parts could easily run $2500 all in.

 

If it only has 57k miles, you probably can get away with honing the cylinders, new rings and having the crank worked on as necessary.

Have you determined if it's the original engine to the car? How about the casting numbers and date codes? There's a VIN stamp on the black behind the intake.

Absolutely replace the timing chain. Ford used a nylon coated cam gear that after a certain age would start shedding pieces of the nylon into the oil pan. It would then get sucked up into the pump and jam it. You'd then break the spindly 302 pump driveshaft and the engine would continue to run without oil pressure. Replace the timing set with a good Cloyes double roller, replace the pump and put in an ARP pump driveshaft. That way if the pump jams, it shears the drive pin in the distributor gear and stops the engine right away.

 

Engine apparently came to you not running but pretty easy to verify stuff...

Did it have an oil filter on it? If yes, easy enough to cut it apart and take a look. Drain the oil from the pan and look at that. Bad things will be obvious.

If OK, spin on a fresh filter, put some oil in and, since the distro is out, plumb in a mech gauge to the oil sender port and spin up the oil pump and check for pressure and flow. You'll see it topside with the rocker covers off. I had an old distro with the gear removed and a nut welded on the top for that purpose but there are ready-made tools out there. Turn the engine over by hand while spinning the pump and observe.

Also easy enough to seal up and pressure check for water leaks while engine is out. 10psi is sufficient. Of course you'll need the manifold on it. I made some quick/dirty block plates for the t-stat and water pump areas. If too much trouble and no water in oil, skip it and do a running hot check instead.

If things check out OK I'd then check leakdown and if that's 5% with oil, or so, or less, prep and fire it and see how it runs. Old engines can be surprisingly robust.

Of course there are plenty of more money intensive ways of going but as a semi-retired guy myself who used to build engines as part of my shop work, I get the low-budget approach. Not pretty, not shiny but can be effective. Up to you how you want to go. IME, diagnose condition first, then proceed.

I did something similar when buying my current driver about 30 years ago, though it did run, and it's been doing fine since. Added a free Cobra manifold and some shorty headers and homemade exhaust and been driving tens of thousands of miles since with normal maintenance. Never been on the transporter once. Maybe next week

 

"Absolutely replace the timing chain. Ford used a nylon coated cam gear that after a certain age would start shedding pieces of the nylon into the oil pan. It would then get sucked up into the pump and jam it." Thanks Hemikiller for this info. I removed the oil pan this afternoon and that's exactly what I found in the oil. There was a little sludge in the corners but what I found in it looked like black pieces of plastic in the oil, also a few small pieces under the center bar in the oil screen. I'm getting the damper puller tomorrow and will get the timing chain cover off to inspect it further. I showed the underside to a machinist and he said it didn't look bad at all. Here are the pieces I found in the oil.

 

Those look like valve seals. The nylon from the cam gear is white or yellowish.

 

Great, just curious on how those break up like that? What is the best way to confirm this and fix the problem? I was planning to have the heads redone with the hardened seats. Wanted to read up on that process before I started so I don't miss anything. Already learned that I need dowels to line everything back up later. Thanks again.

 

After pulling the timing chain cover off, it was loose but I didn't see anything broken inside. Those black pieces must be the valve seals as suggested. With all the sludge, broken pieces in the oil etc. and determining this is not the original motor I've decided to go ahead and buy a long block and just replace it. I was planning on buying a new carburetor and water pump anyway, I'll just look into replacing the distributor too. I think I'd like to add some headers to it so the old manifolds are out.

 

It looks like you well on your way to a "while I am at it" restoration.

 

Just wanted to update, old engine gone. I ended up purchasing a newly rebuilt 302, carburetor and some other misc. parts. I think the motor is complete for now.